Frequently clients ask us to help them improve their existing or planned products. One of the first steps we recommend is to understand what drives or repels the buyer or prospect to make the decision to move forward or to look elsewhere.
Typically, this involves moving past understanding what has happened in the past to diving into why it happened. Understanding what we call “the why” is more challenging and where many firms fall short. It’s also exactly why partnering your product team with your research team can make a significant impact.
There are many influences that impact the decision to buy but emotions—both those associated directly with the product or emotions that surface while making the purchase—are often easily overlooked in research. Increasingly technology is playing an important role in effectively and efficiently uncovering emotional drivers that drive people to purchase or not.
One research technique we are fond of using marries geo-fenced targeting with qualitative analysis. Here’s how it works:
Let’s say a client wants to understand how car buyers are reacting to a new product used in the dealership F&I office. Rather than bring people into a focus group, which typically introduces group bias, we deploy a geo-fence around specific dealerships. We carefully identify individuals who meet our criteria and when they arrive at the dealerships we get notified.
In real time, we have the ability to get information from them on the spot. In some cases, we have them use their mobile device to give us video feedback of their feelings, thoughts and overall experiences as a results of interacting with the product. Most importantly, we get this feedback while they are still at the dealership!
There is significant value in capturing feedback and emotions so quickly. Recall is fresh. They are still processing their experience—both positive and negative—and allows us to get the most complete insight before time effects recall. Getting as close to the point of transaction, without interfering in it, is ideal for qualitative work. This approach is also efficient and cost-effective as we it is all executed remotely without staff having to travel. We then develop a profile of the underlying emotions and how they impact decision-making and that feedback is carefully reviewed with the client to help shape products that people love.
To learn more about how we use Agile Research to improve products, drop us a line.
Cheers,
Eliza
